To answer your other question, DHT suppressants fight hair loss no matter what stage you're in. You don't need to wait for the condition to progress. Generally, the earlier you start a regimen, the more effective it will be.
But if you want to hold off on medication until you see a hair loss specialist, there's nothing wrong with that.

chris is right that there is a risk of side effects from finasteride. These often resolve themselves while continuing to take the medication, but not always.
Most people tolerate this medicine well, but if you're not one of them, his advice on lowering your dosage will probably be very useful.

StressedToTheBald should generally be ignored. He has been hijacking every active thread with alarmist propaganda about finasteride, while pushing unproven treatments. He also doesn't seem to know how to evaluate scientific studies.
This may sound harsh, but many others on this forum would say the same. You'll notice it too if you stick around long enough.

Did you notice any positive results in that time? A low dose might be good for me. Good luck with your libido, not a side effect I take lightly

Hard to say anything about positive results because I only took it for 3 months. I do see some peach fuzz hair at the corners of my hairline, but that could be down to minoxidil, which I started about a month ago. It could also be a consequence of shedding, which I may have experienced on either of those meds.

Of those men, only a fraction will actually be successful at controlling their hair loss (as with finasteride).

That "fraction" of men who have successfully managed their hair loss with Finasteride is the larger portion of the total. This is very well documented and very well known. To state it as "only a fraction" is slightly unethical, though technically true. Putting it that way understates the true effectiveness in an attempt to hide it. Much in the same way that overstating the frequency of side effects hides the facts about possible side effects. Neither is ethical.

All I'm saying is the topic is too complicated to boldly write-off saw palmetto.

You are reaching. If anyone actually were able to slow down, stop or reverse hereditary hair loss with natural DHT blockers such as Saw Palmetto everyone would know about it. You would not need to dig very deep to find it. It would be ight there available for everyone to see.

If I do in fact have the beginnings of MPB, I understand that this is an acute and aggressive issue with body chemistry and my use of supplements will probably not be sufficient for the results I desire. I still am very hesitant to consider finasteride.

At the stage I am at, and until I sit down and talk with a specialist, I'll bide my time with my regimen and hope that the progression is slow.

Please understand that I am not totally against suppliments. I use a specific Hair, Skin & Nails multi-vitamin myself. When dealing with a natural and normal process such as male and female patterned hereditary hair loss, especially when it is aggressive, supppiments cannot provide a strong fight.

However if you chose to try a natural approach, there is one study that shows some limited merit for a specific Saw Palmetto complex. Nature's Bounty makes a product that matches the complex tested in that study. Here is a link to a PDF file of the label that shows the list of ingrediants for that product.

I've read somewhere that finasteride is only effective at stopping hair loss at stage 2 or 3.

The Medication does not care what stage of hair loss you have. It simply blocks the formation of the hormone that triggers hereditary hair loss (DHT). The medication can stop hereditary hair loss regardless of what stage you are. Of course for someone who is beyond NW6 there is no point.

Originally Posted by chrisis

mnx, my advice if you start on finasteride would be to start at a lower dose, and take your time working up.

I think this is good advice. This is what I had to do when I started on Spiro.

Wow, you have the exact same hair loss pattern I had at 28. I'm 31 now. I didn't do anything about it at the time because no noticed it and everywhere else was thick with no receding hairline. I agree it's probably the onset of MPB, especially since you have hairloss in your family.

All the other posters here seem to have covered everything pretty well. See a hair loss dermatologist and see what they can do for treatment. Make sure you weigh the risks/rewards of drugs like propecia/proscar. I have chosen not to try it because the possibility (I didn't care how small the possibility) of sexual side effects, both long or short term. I started Rogaine this year and it has been slow going and there has been some shedding involved which is something you might want to keep in mind if you start it. It's like a lot of drugs where it makes things worse before it makes things better, but supposedly if you stick with it for 6-8 months. Also it apparently works better when you're younger. The company Rogaine claims 85% of men regrew hair, but I've seen clinical studies that report it's closer to 55%.

Lastly, start conditioning yourself for what baldness might be like. I rarely see people suggest this on websites. With treatment you may keep your hair looking pretty damn good for many years, but eventually it will fall out if it's in your genes. I wouldn't hold my breath for "the cure" even though there have been some great advances and I don't think it's healthy to pin so much hope on the possibility coming soon, even though I hope it does.

Please understand that I am not totally against suppliments. I use a specific Hair, Skin & Nails multi-vitamin myself. When dealing with a natural and normal process such as male and female patterned hereditary hair loss, especially when it is aggressive, supppiments cannot provide a strong fight.

However if you chose to try a natural approach, there is one study that shows some limited merit for a specific Saw Palmetto complex. Nature's Bounty makes a product that matches the complex tested in that study. Here is a link to a PDF file of the label that shows the list of ingrediants for that product.

I went to a clinic today, and asked about hair loss(I'll check out a more expensive specialist later).

She thought it was possible MPB but sent me for some blood work to check things out. Apparently really extreme stress can cause delayed hair loss 2-3 months after, and that actually fits my situation. Wishful thinking maybe, but I want to cover all bases.

Also, I try to eat a very healthy diet. I eat lots of seaweed which is good for your hair, only good fats, not excessive meat, little to no dairy etc. No sugar, I try to limit my carbs in general. Hey this stuff can't hurt.